Beer from Here: Lynnwood Brewing Concern – Hubris Imperial IPA

Lynnwood Brewing Concern is nestled in a bustling area of northwest Raleigh. The brewpub opened as a restaurant in 2011, and began brewing in July 2013. As it’s one of the few brewpubs in the area, founder Ted Dywer made a point to offer affordable food in conjunction with a nice offering of beers. Pizza is the go-to choice when enjoying concoctions from head brewer Bill Gerds. Lynwood offers four year-round brews and several seasonal offerings, all mastered on a 10 barrel (BBL) system.

I was very excited to try the Hubris Imperial IPA. I’ve heard many local craft beer aficionados claim this brew to be the best IPA in North Carolina. That’s a bold statement considering the 2014 World Beer Cup® Gold Award Winner, American-Style IPA, is mere hours away in Charlotte. But Lynnwood won some hardware too. They have some solid beers.

I was lucky to get my hands on the first Hubris bottle run last month. Only 15 cases were bottled and I thought this was the perfect time to try it. The 22 oz. DIPA poured a golden orange with a solid head in my Spiegelau glass. A strong citrus aroma greeted me and notes of pine were ever-present. I was in heaven. I knew this would be my kind of IPA.

But the goodness didn’t stop there. My first sip was everything I imagined as the hops punched me right in the mouth. I picked up more citrus, juicy fruit, and hints of mango. It was quite the tropical treat with minimal bitterness. While the ABV registers at 8.7%, there’s little alcohol on the backend. The hops, combined with a light malt backbone, make for one easy-drinking imperial IPA.

Overall, this DIPA is delicious. It’s extremely drinkable, and the 22 oz. went down very fast (too fast perhaps). People are right, this beer is a winner and I hope it begins to get the recognition it deserves. I wish I had more to savor and I hope Lynnwood decides to bottle some more in the near future. Either way, I’ll find myself at the brewpub enjoying this outstanding beer on draft and you should too.